The inspiration for my new collection emerged out of my personal exploration and study of the many ways in which I can express myself through art. Of late, I’ve been concerned by the fact that so many people seem to struggle to attain happiness. I felt that this warranted further analysis. Knowing that everything in life is relative, and that our thoughts are endlessly spinning like circles in our heads, it seems clear to me that the solutions to our problems, like circles, can be found in straight lines. In short, they are often right in front of us! I reached this conclusion after studying mathematical philosophy, and in particular the work of François Viète.

Viète was a mathematician who tackled the famous Problem of Apollonius, namely to construct circles that are tangent to three given circles in a plane. He did so by exploiting limiting cases, recognizing that any of the three given circles can be shrunk to zero radius (a point) or in our case – expanded to infinite radius (a line)! Viète’s work helped me to recognize that like the circles, the solutions to our problems can often be found in a straight line. In short, they are right in front of us! For some reason, however, we either can’t see, or refuse to acknowledge them. My new collection is also informed by Pythagorean numerology.

Inspired by people who had delved into the study, I followed cubist painters and artists and subsequently switched to a color blocking style which I felt promoted optimism through the colors and shapes of my paintings. For the luxury pieces of my collection, I chose to paint on a wooden canvas, using only lines and a more minimal style of art. To me this shows a clearer image as well as the importance of making the right decisions. …

Turn  Straight editions “

When I began this work, I wanted to show the challenge of finding the right way forward.  It is often simple and straightforward, yet we get caught up in endless thoughts and fears, spinning in circles of indecision, avoiding that which is directly in front of us. In this edition of the series, the expression ‘turn straight’ captured for me the struggle to take the right path. I was reminded of, and drew inspiration from the clean lines, sharp edges, and unerring aim of a guillotine. Just as its heavy blade slices cleanly and precisely, we must similarly cut through the circles of avoidance to embark on the straight and simple path of possibility.